Lyft, a ride-sharing app service, expands to Chicago

Despite receiving a cease and desist letter from Los Angeles, Lyft said it plans to continue to operate.

Despite receiving a cease and desist letter from Los Angeles, Lyft said it plans to continue to operate. (Lyft)

Salvador Rodriguez

Lyft, a ride-sharing service known for the pink mustache on the grill of its drivers' cars, is set to begin operating in Chicago this weekend.

Chicago will be the fourth city where riders can use Lyft to get around the city. Lyft launched last year in San Francisco and expanded to Los Angeles and Seattle earlier this year.

Using the Lyft smartphone app, users can call a driver to their location for a ride. The driver uses his or her own personal car for the service, and Lyft suggests how much a rider should pay. But the rider can choose to donate more or less than the suggestion.

The service will launch in Chicago on Saturday, and riders can use it until 3 a.m. during the weekend and 1 a.m. on weeknights.

Logan Green, co-founder of the company and a Los Angeles native, told The Times he was excited about the Chicago launch because it would mark the first time the service is available beyond the West Coast.

"It's a big launch for us," Green said. "We have three West Coast cities now, so it's a big launch to push much further away from home."

Additionally, Green said his company's name is being changed from Zimride Inc. to Lyft Inc. The company was called Zimride because that's the name of the service Green and co-founder John Zimmer originally launched together back in 2007. It's another service that lets users plan longer road trips with other travelers.

But more consumers have come to know the company for its Lyft taxi-like service since it launched last year.